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Happy Thursday!
And happy shortest day of the year!
Today is officially Winter Solstice, which basically means the Earth’s South Pole has tilted the furthest away from the sun.
The result? A short (and cold!) day.
I've got 10 seconds
The quote
"You know, Mr. Speaker, Kermit the Frog was wrong. It is easy being green because you can promise the world and you don't have to deliver anything." – Education Minister Jason Clare when asked by Greens MP Elizabeth Watson-Brown if universities should be free.
The stat
281
The number of runs Australia chased down to win the first test against England. It’s the most Australia has chased to beat England in a test since 1948.
Today in history
1990: Checkpoint Charlie – the famous crossing point between East and West Berlin during the Cold War – was dismantled.
I've got 30 seconds
Some headlines from this morning:
The NSW corruption watchdog will hand down its report into former Premier Gladys Berejiklian next Thursday. The investigation relates to alleged misconduct by Berejiklian in the provision of grant funding for the regional city of Wagga Wagga.
Deaths in custody will be reported in real-time under a new dashboard launched on Wednesday. It will provide demographic data on the deceased person, including age, sex and if they were a First Nations person. The measure has been introduced as a way to enhance accountability and transparency for all Australian governments.
I've got 1 minute
The French Government wants to regulate visitor numbers during peak season, with "overtourism" impacting the environment and local residents.
The country has announced a strategy to manage the flow of visitors at popular tourist sites and to encourage off-season visits.
France is the world's biggest tourist destination, but Government data says tourism activity is concentrated to just 20% of the country.
What is overtourism?
Overtourism is when specific locations are visited by an excessive number of tourists, negatively impacting local residents and the surrounding environment.
France's Minister for Tourism, Olivia Grégoire, says the influx of tourists in France is already threatening "the environment, the quality of life for locals, and the experiences for its visitors".
For example, a beach in Étretrat, a town with 1,200 residents, records up to 10,000 tourists a day during the peak season. This is credited to the success of Netflix's 'Lupin'.
"This massive influx ends up trampling and eroding the cliffs," a local environmental activist told media.
Many locations in France have already set daily visitor caps during the summer season. The island of Bréhat in Brittany now imposes a 4,700 daily visitor capacity, while the Sugiton coves in Marseille accept just 400 people daily, down from 2,500.
Government response:
To tackle this, the French Government says it will promote year-round travel and encourage tourists to favour lesser-known landmarks. These efforts will be supported by a social media influencer campaign.
Grégoire told media: "If we want to free up sites that are overly frequented, we need to bring other destinations to the fore and other tourist itineraries."
Data from major tourist sites will also be gathered for the first time to analyse visitor patterns throughout the year.
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I've got 2 minutes
Western Australia will fully decriminalise abortion under landmark legislation introduced to parliament on Wednesday.
The changes will mean abortion falls under existing health legislation, instead of the Criminal Code.
WA Premier Roger Cook labelled the state's abortion legislation "outdated", saying the 25-year-old laws "no longer meet the needs of Western Australians".
Current law:
Abortions can be performed in all Australian jurisdictions up to a certain point in pregnancy – in Western Australia, that threshold is currently 20 weeks gestation.
During that period, a doctor is required to offer counselling to their patient before performing a termination.
After 20 weeks, an abortion is only available if the patient or foetus has a severe health condition. In such cases, a ministerially appointed panel need to approve the procedure.
New reforms:
Alongside decriminalising the procedure, Western Australia will increase the gestational limit for abortion to 23 weeks.
The state will also reduce the number of health practitioners required to be involved in an abortion (from two to one) and abolish the need for a panel to approve later-term abortions. The counselling provision will also be removed.
A health practitioner can maintain the right to object to an abortion but they'll have to transfer the patient's care to an alternative provider.
Government statement:
"It is unacceptable that WA women face greater barriers in accessing what is a critical health care service," Cook said.
"The introduction of these historic reforms to Parliament is a significant moment for women in this state, who deserve fair, equal and timely access to legal medical services."
The Labor Party has a majority in both houses of WA parliament, meaning the bill is expected to pass.
Give me some good news
Estonia has become the first central European country to allow same-sex marriage.
It came following a vote in the national parliament, with the laws to come into effect next year.
A message from our sponsor
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Find out more here.
A TDA tidbit
Are you ready for it?
Taylor Swift is coming to Australia next February, performing three shows in Sydney and two in Melbourne.
The Hunger Games (aka trying to buy tickets during the general sale) will happen on 30 June – at 10am for Sydney shows and 2pm for Melbourne shows.
Tickets during the general sale will range from $79.90-$379.90.
There are some more expensive packages, with the most costly one being $1249.90 – that will buy you a floor ticket, four prints, a tote bag, a pin, some stickers and a postcard set.
The MCG has a capacity of more than 100,000, while Accor has a capacity of nearly 85,000.
The Daily Aus acknowledges the Gadigal peoples of the Eora Nation who are the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work. We acknowledge and pay respect to the past, present and future Traditional Custodians and Elders of this nation and the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.